Seer of Fire: Philosopher's Stone
by Cythrakeus
Summary: It's 1991 and Harry Potter is beginning his first year at Hogwarts; but this isn't centered around Harry Potter. This is about a girl that goes by the name of Cyth Wright, and her adventures with Harry, Ron and Hermione through the world of witchcraft and wizardry. There's something odd to her about a robbery and then a three-headed dog that're clearly connected. (OC insert fic)


The night was a quite unusually stormy one; usually it only rained at that time of the summer. The wind battered the old foster home and lightning seemed to strike almost constantly. This, however, was of little to no concern to the petite black-haired girl backed into the corner of her small bedroom by a group of older boys from the room next to hers. It occurred to her that they'd picked the locks of both her room and theirs; all doors were locked at curfew.

"S-Stop! I'll t-tell the m-matron!" she exclaimed, holding up her hands like a feeble shield. The boys looked fake-scared for a moment before laughing obnoxiously. The largest reared back and punched her in the nose; effectively breaking it. Blood seeped through her fingers which now covered it, mingling with the tears that were streaming down her face. She attempted to kick the boy in the shin to try to get him to leave but he caught it with his hand and twisted it sideways and threw her down to the ground. His companions laughed and joined in the kick-fest; to which the girl attempted to stay strong about but towards the end of the endeavor she was giving provocative squeaks of pain with every blow.

Eventually she was left with what she was sure was a broken nose, numerous bruises and cuts, a sprained ankle and a broken wrist. They weren't done yet; they'd meant to continue for a while longer but were interrupted by a loud crack like that of a firecracker emanating from outside the door. They whirled around, confused and a bit scared. And suddenly, the pack leader's nose grew a foot long and he exclaimed in fear, scuttling out of the room with his friends behind him, leaving an enormous shadow cast across the small girl.

The man's face was nearly completely hidden by a long shaggy mane of hair completed by an equally long beard. "Are you alright, Cythrakeus?" She nodded, wiping the blood on her hands on her jeans and the blood on her nose on her sleeve. "Muggles," she heard him mutter. "My name is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys an' Grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft an' Wizardry." He held out a hand, and she raised an eyebrow, shaking his enormous hand.

"I'm going ter assume yeh don' know what I mean, considerin' where yeh grew up?" At the subtle shake of her head, he nodded. "Yer a witch, and yer parents witch an' wizard, and their parents before them, and so on an' so forth," he replied. "A what?" she asked, confused. "A witch! Blimey, here, read yer letter, that migh' help." Here." He removed an envelope with a wax seal from the depths of his coat and handed it to the girl. She opened it carefully and removed the letter from the inside, unfolding the parchment.

_Miss Cythrakeus Wright_

_Fourth Room Down The Hall_

_4444 Syndracor Avenue_

_Chiswick_

_Dear Ms. Wright,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. _

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

She looked up at Hagrid, confused. "But it's August 30th already, sir?" He turned bright red at this. "Jus' call me Hagrid, everyone else does, no need fer formalities, otherwise its alright, we knew yeh'd not get it on time, don' worry bou' it, it'd be too weird ter send an owl ter yeh," he told her, and she nodded, returning to the envelope. Pulling out the second paper enclosed, she eyed the list of supplies.

**_Uniform_**

_Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)_

_One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear_

_One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times._

**_Books_**

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_

**_Other Eqiupment_**

_1 Wand_

_1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set of glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set of brass scales_

_Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad._

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS._

She looked up at Hagrid once more. "Where am I supposed to get all this stuff in London, Hagrid?"

"Why, in Diagon Alley of course," he replied, a smile on his face. "Where's that?"

"I'll take yeh there in the morning, don' worry about it. Fer now, yeh should get some rest, it's late." She glanced at the alarm clock that stood guard on the small nightstand by her small bed, and it struck her just then how tired she was; it was midnight already. "O..kay. And Hagrid?"

"Yes?"

"I go by Cyth," she murmured. He smiled and nodded. "I'll be sure ter remember that. I'll be here ter get yeh at noon tomorrow." And with that, there was a loud _crack_ and he was gone. Waving her hand briefly where the Groundskeeper just was to make sure he was actually gone, she walked slowly over to her bed and slid under the covers, falling asleep near instantly.

* * *

Cyth woke with a start as her alarm clock beeped loudly. Hitting the snooze button, she eyed the clock and saw it was 11 in the morning. She dressed quickly in a black t-shirt, jeans and a blue, black and white hoodie. She ate a quick breakfast and then returned to her room once more, cursing as she realized it was only 11:20. She waited impatiently by pacing up and down in her bedroom until the clock finally turned from 11:59 to 12:00. Her face lit up with a smile, and waited for the _crack_ that would signal the return of Hagrid.

And then the clock turned to 12:01. Had they forgotten her? Had it been only a strange dream? No, her dreams weren't ever that vivid, and the boys beating her up had definitely happened. She was roused from her thoughts by a unexpectedly louder _crack._

"Ello, Cyth. 'Ave you got your list?" She pulled it out of her pocket and he grinned. "Right then! There's one of them underground transportation things nearby- train stations, right?"

"Right..?" she replied uncertainly. "Great then! Let's go."

* * *

"Yeh don't talk much, do ye?" Hagrid mused as they sat on the train. He stood out rather oddly as he was much taller than everyone else on the train. "Not really."

And then a rather depressing thought struck her. "I haven't got any money," she muttered. "Yeh parents had some- loads, actually. First stop is Gringotts Bank, anyway."

"Wizards have _banks_?" she asked, bewildered. "'Course, where else'd everyone keep their money? Ye'd be mad to rob it, anyway. Spells an' enchantments an' such, some even say there's dragons that guard the high-security vaults," he replied. "Dragons? Really?" A mischievous look entered her eye and he chuckled. "So they say. I'd love ter have a dragon, wanted one since I was a kid- here we go." The train had started slowing down and soon came to a stop. They came up the stairs to the open air soon after, and Hagrid immediately set off for an interesting looking pub just down the road. None of the people walking past it seemed to notice. Lots of strange looking folk were inside the candlelit bar. The bartender reached for a glass as he passed and grinned at Hagrid. "The usual, Hagrid?"

"Nah. I'm on Hogwarts business again," he replied, and continued on through the bar as people seemed to stare at Hagrid. He lead her into a small, walled-up courtyard with nothing but a trash can and some weeds. He pulled out an umbrella. "Three up.. two across.." she heard him mutter. "Right. Stand back." The last brick he touched quivered and the wall opened up into a large archway big enough for even Hagrid, that lead into a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight. "Welcome to Diagon Alley." Hagrid grinned and lead her on through the archway, which closed up behind them into the dirtied brick wall. Cyth couldn't help but stare at all of the shops they passed, which advertised all sorts of different kinds of things as he lead her through the crowd towards the largest building at the end of the street, which had a large sign that read Gringotts Bank. "We'll be needin' some money and Dumbledore said yeh had some left in yer account from yer parents," Hagrid told her. He pulled open the door and they walked inside. She pulled on his sleeve and pointed at one of the short and stocky creatures with large beards and large feet and long fingers. "What are those?"

"Goblins," he replied as they approached a goblin that was free. "Mornin'," Hagrid said, "We've come ter take some money outta Miss Cythrakeus Wright's safe."

"Do you have her key, sir?" Hagrid promptly pulled out a small key and handed it to the goblin, who nodded and called a nearby goblin over. The group of three headed towards one of the doors leading down the hall. The goblin held the door open, which lead into a stone passageway lit by torches. The goblin whistled and a cart came hurtling up the tracks that were on the floor towards thjem. They climbed in- Hagrid with a bit of difficulty- and were off. The cart seemed to know its' own way, as the goblin didn't seem to be steering.

Cyth couldn't get enough of the amazing sight that was the underground of Gringotts; there were railways twisting everywhere and what she swore was fire that snaked out from behind a turn. They plunged ever deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor. The cart soon stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall. Hagrid looked rather green and leaned against the wall soon after climbing out. The goblin followed and soon after so did Cyth, and the goblin pulled the key Hagrid had given him from his pocket and unlocked the door, showing mounds of gold coins, columns of silver and heaps of bronze coins.

"All yours," Hagrid said with a smile. Cyth's jaw dropped as she gazed over the sizable amounts of coins in the vault. Hagrid helped her pile some into a bag. "The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine bronze Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." They climbed back into the cart and were soon back on the surface blinking in the sunlight outside of Gringotts. She didn't know where to go first as she now possessed more money she'd ever had in her lifetime.

"Yeh might as well and go ahead and get yer uniform," Hagrid remarked. "Do yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up at the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look rather sick. "Sure- and Hagrid?" she asked, a question playing across her thoughts. "Eh?"

"Is it normal- for witches or wizards, I mean- to, say, in dreams, see stuff that'll happen some time later? Like, prophecies?" Hagrid raised an eyebrow. "No, why?"

"Just wondering.." And with that, she entered the Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions alone.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve. "Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when she arrived in front of the counter. "Get lots of you kids, but usually not this close to start of term. Come on, let's get you fitted." She lead her over to a stool in the back of the shop and slipped a long black robe over her head and began to pin it to the right length. It didn't take very long, and she continued on with her robes in hand. Hagrid met her in front of the shop with icecream, grinning. They stopped soon after to buy parchment and ink (she was delighted at the prospect of color-changing ink) and then went into Flourish and Blotts to get her books. They soon then bought a pewter cauldron, scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. After they went into the Apothecary and bought potion ingredients. "Just yer wand left. Go on, I've got something ter pick up."

She walked uncertainly into Ollivanders. _A wand- that would be really cool to have_, she thought as she walked in and approached the counter. Boxes upon boxes lined the several tall walls that made up the rather shabby looking shop. The back of her neck prickled; the very air seemed to tingle with magic. "Good afternoon," a soft voice called. An old man stood before her, wide pale eyes shining like moons in the gloom of the shop. "H-Hello," she greeted rather awkwardly. "Ah, Hogwarts student?" Mr. Ollivander mused, looking down at her. "You remind me of a kid who came in here many years ago. Last I heard of him he was in Azkaban," he told her. _Azkaban? What's Azkaban?_ she wondered. "Well now, Ms..?" She took a moment to register he was asking her name. "Wright. C-Cyth Wright," she stammered, looking quite uncomfortable. He pulled a tape measure from his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Er.. I'm right handed..?" Cyth replied. "Hold out your right arm, then, that's it." He measured her from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Ms. Wright. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are the same. And of course, you would never get such good results with another wizard's wand." Cyth suddenly realized the tape measure was measuring on its' own, and Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes. "That will do," he said and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Ms. Wright. Try this one. Rosewood and dragon heartstring. Twelve and a quarter inches. Rather flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

Cyth took the wand, feeling a bit foolish, waved it around a bit. It gave an explosion of red sparks and Mr. Ollivander pulled it out of her hand, clicking his tongue and returning it to a box. "Beech and unicorn tail hair, thirteen inches." She had barely raised the wand when he snatched it back and handed her another one. "No, no, here- blackthorn, thirteen and three quarter inches, kneazle whisker. Go on, try it." She waved it and it gave an explosion of bright green sparks and he snatched it back from her. "Tricky customer, eh? No problem, we'll find the perfect match somewhere.." After several more wands, he came upon one that he eyed oddly. "I wonder, now- unusual combination, poculi, fourteen and a half inches, phoenix tail feather. Try it," Ollivander remarked, handing her the wand. A warmth spread through her fingers as she grasped it and waved it; a stream of gold and red sparks exploded from the tip. Mr. Ollivander clapped and took it back from her. "Bravo! Yes, indeed, very good, but curious.. very curious," he muttered, putting the wand into a box and wrapping it in brown paper.

"What's curious?" she asked, confused. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Ms. Wright. Every single one. It just so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave only two other feathers- just two. One went into the wand that was sold to Harry Potter himself- holly, phoenix feather of course, and eleven inches. The other went into You-Know-Who's, thirteen and a half inches, yew. Curious indeed. The wand chooses the wizard, remember- I think we must expect great things from you, Ms. Wright. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things, terrible but great." Cyth raised an eyebrow and paid him seven gold Galleons for the wand and exited the shop, nearly running into Hagrid, who was holding a cage with a white and grey cat inside.

"Happy late birthday, Cyth. Dumbledore mentioned yer birthday was a couple o' weeks ago, so I figured I'd get ye a present." Cyth's face lit up with a grin as she took the cage and stroked the cat inside. She couldn't stop stammering her thanks to the giant. "D'aw, it was nothin'. I's not like yeh'd get many presents livin' in one of them orphanages anyway," he had said, and they made their way back through Diagon Alley and back through the wall and into the tavern, which was now mostly empty. "I rented ye a room upstairs while I was in here earlier, here's yer ticket for the train ter Hogwarts. King's Cross tomorrow. See yeh soon, Cyth." Hagrid walked out of the tavern and waved before disappearing with a _crack._

* * *

_Platform nine and three quarters? Where the heck's that supposed to be?_ Cyth thought as she walked along the train station, pushing her things along. She stopped in between platforms nine and ten, confused. She saw a black-haired boy nearby looking annoyed as a guard walked away from him, and had an owl and some strange looking things on his cart that looked similar to the ones she had. She approached him warily as he continued looking along the platforms. "E-Excuse me, are you a Hogwarts student?" she asked quietly. He whirled around, quite confused before realizing what she'd asked. "Er, yeah. Do you perhaps know how to get to platform nine and three quarters?" he added. She shook her head. "I was wondering if you did, but guess not," she replied, and together the two looked. They both seemed to look at a clock on the wall at the same time; it was ten to eleven, the train would be leaving soon. At that moment a group of people passed just behind them and Cyth caught a few words of what they were saying.

"-packed with Muggles, of course-"

They both whirled around almost simultaneously. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like the boy's in front of him, and they had an owl. They uncertainly pushed their carts after them. They stopped and so did they, just near enough to hear their conversation. "Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother. "Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding the mother's hand. "Mum, can't I go..?"

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."

What looked like the oldest boy marched towards platform nine and ten. They watched, careful not to blink in case they missed it- but just as the boy reached the dividing platforms, a large crowd of tourists swarmed in front of them and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished. "Fred, you next," the plump woman said. "I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone- but how had he done it?

Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier- he was almost there, and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere. There was nothing else for it.

"Excuse me," the boy said to the plump woman. "Hello, dear. First year at Hogwarts for you two? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin and gangling, with freckles big hands and feet, and a long nose. "Yes," the boy replied. "The thing is, we don't know how to-"

"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and they both nodded. "Not to worry," she replied. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best to do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on you two, before Ron."

"Er- okay," the boy replied, and pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked pretty solid.

He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. He began walking more quickly, and he started to run soon after and seemed to be absorbed by the barrier. The plump woman ushered her on and she followed in suit; the barrier was getting nearer and nearer and she closed her eyes and braced for impact; but it didn't come. She opened her eyes.

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. She looked behind him and saw an archway where the barrier had been, with the words _Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it._ She'd done it.

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and scraping of heavy trunks. The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. She pushed her cart down the platform in search of an empty seat. She passed a boy complaining of losing his toad and raised an eyebrow as she passed. She pushed on and found a near-empty compartment toward the end of the door. It was occupied by the black-haired boy and the youngest ginger boy, Ron. She pushed the door open slightly, and gestured feebly towards one of the two empty seats left. "Are either of these taken?" she asked, and they shook their heads. Loading her things into the space allowed for items she sat down next to the black-haired boy. The train had already started moving and Ron was hanging out the window waving at the plump woman. "Hey, Ron."

The twins were back. "Listen, we're going back down the middle of the train- Lee Jordan has a giant tarantula down there."

"Right," mmbled Ron. "Harry," said the other twin, and Cyth assumed that was the black-haired boy's name, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."

"Bye," the two boys replied, and the twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out. Harry nodded. "Oh-well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," Ron explained. "And have you really got- you know.." He pointed at Harry's forehead. Harry pulled back his bangs to show a scar that looked like a lightning bolt. Cyth couldn't help but let out a squeak she muffled with a hand. "So that's where You-Know-Who..?"

"Yes," Harry replied, "but I can't remember it."

"Nothing?" Ron asked eagerly. "Well- I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."

"Wow," Ron breathed. Cyth scratched the back of her neck, a bit embarrassed. "I'm s-sorry, but remember what? And who's You-Know-Who?" Ron gave her a startled look and Harry just looked at her confusedly. "You don't know about Harry Potter? And You-Know-Who?" Ron queried. "No..? I'm sorry, I didn't grow up around magic, I was only told I'm a witch a few days ago.." she replied, her shoes suddenly becoming the most interesting thing on the train. "Well, You-Know-Who..he was a big wizard who'd gone stark raving mad and gained a bunch of followers and went round killing people. And ten years ago he went into Harry's house and murdered his parents, and tried to murder Harry but instead practically killed himself and left Harry with that scar," Ron explained. "You really didn't know?" She shook her head, blushing. "Are all your family wizards?" Harry blurted out suddenly, directed at Ron. "Er- yes, I think so. I think Mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."

"So you must know loads of magic already," Harry mused. The Weasleys were clearly a rather old wizarding family. "I heard you went to live with Muggles," Ron told Harry. "What're they like?"

"Horrible- well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."

"Five," Ron corrected. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left- Bill was a head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat." Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep. "His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff- I mean, I got Scabbers instead."

Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much because he went back to staring out the window. Harry eyed Cyth, who was still staring at her shoes. "What're you called?" he asked, smiling gently. "Cyth Wright," she replied. "M' Harry, but you know that already. You said you didn't grow up around wizards? Did you grow up with Muggles too?" he asked.

"Yeah..lot of bloody sunshines they were. Grew up in an orphanage. Boys next to my room liked to m-mess with me a lot, cause I'm small."

"My cousin likes to mess with me a lot too," he responded. Ron looked at Cyth and seemed to give her a once-over. "Are you Muggle-born?" he asked. "What?"

"Like, your parents are Muggles but you're a witch," he explained. "I don't think so, cause there sure was a lot of money in my vault, but I don't know for sure, cause like I said, I grew up in an orphanage." Ron nodded, satisfied, and went back to staring out the window. Harry looked at Ron, smiling again. "I don't think there's anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl," he told Ron, and went on about having to wear his cousin's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. That seemed to cheer Ron up. "..and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort-"

Ron gasped. "What?" Harry asked, confused. "_You said You-Know-Who's name!_" Ron cried, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people-"

"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," Harry interrupted. "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn, I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that'd clearly been worrying him a lot. "I bet I'm the worst in the class."

"You won't be," Ron told him. "There's loads of people that come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough." While they were talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past until a thought occurred to Cyth, who promptly stood on the seat and shoved her trunk out of the way and pulled the cat from its' cage. It had blue eyes and was mostly white but from its nose up was a darkish grey that lightened into a greyish cream that went down its' back, and his large fluffy tail was dark grey. Its' nose had a small spot of dark grey and its' eyes were bright blue. "Nice cat," Ron remarked, and Harry scratched it behind its' ears. "What's it called?" Harry asked. "Jack," she replied, stroking his back and he arched his spine in response.

Around half-past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"

Harry leapt to his feet and went for the cart and Ron's ears went pink and he muttered something about sandwiches. Cyth followed Harry into the corridor.

She'd never had money for much when she was at the foster home, but now that he had pockets rattling with as much gold and silver as Harry's he was ready to buy as many packs of Skittles as she could carry- but the woman didn't have Skittles. What she did have were Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Cyth had never seen in her life. Not wanting to miss anything, she got some of everything just as Harry did and paid the woman twelve bronze Sickles and eight bronze Knuts.

Ron stared as the two brought it all back into the compartment and tipped it onto the last seat. "Hungry, are you?"

"Starving," the two chorused as Harry took a bite of a pumpkin pasty and Cyth opened a box of jellybeans, focusing on trying to figure out the flavors as Ron and Harry exchanged pumpkin pasties for sandwiches. "What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs just after Cyth had picked up one. "They're not really frogs, are they?" Harry asked and Cyth snorted. "No," Ron told him, "but see what the card is, I'm missing Agrippa."

"What?"

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know- Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect- famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa and Ptolemy." They each unwrapped their Chocolate Frogs and picked up their cards. Harry's showed a face that Cyth read was Dumbledore. "So this is Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed. "Don't tell me you've never heard of Dumbledore!" Ron said, grabbing a pack. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa- thanks-" Cyth eyed her card, which showed a picture of a rather angry looking man with curly black hair. Turning it over, she read Sirius Black: Currently in Azkaban. "What's Azkaban?" she asked, looking expectantly at Ron. "Wizard prison. Who've you got?" She handed him the card, and he raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know Sirius Black had a card!" he exclaimed, confused. "Who's Sirius Black?" Harry asked. "Guy killed eleven Muggles and a wizard with one curse," Ron replied and Cyth gasped. "Can I keep this?" Ron asked, and Cyth nodded, beginning on another pack of jellybeans while the boys continued talking about the cards.

When she'd looked up she realized Ron was warning Harry about the beans. "You want to be careful with those, when they say every flavor, they mean every flavor, you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he got a booger-flavored one once." Ron picked up a green jellybean and looked at it carefully and bit into a corner. "Bleaargh, see? Sprouts," he pointed out, disgusted. "I've gotten what I'm pretty sure is broken computer, yarn, and spoiled milk," Cyth told Ron, and Harry seemed to reconsider eating the brown bean he was about to pop into his mouth. They had a fun time eating the beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine and was brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper. Cyth got another broken computer, Coke, paper, nail polish, lemon, plastic, merengue and cherry.

The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.

There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy that was complaining about his toad on the platform came into the compartment. He looked tearful. "Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?" Ron and Harry shook their heads, and Cyth gave the boy a soft grin. "No, but it'll turn up soon," she told him, and he left, still looking rather depressed. "Hagrid'll have it when we cross a lake," she muttered under her breath. Harry looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "How do you know that?" Ron was looking out the window, oblivious.

"I dunno, sometimes I just know stuff," she muttered, blushing. "I don't know why he's so bothered," Ron remarked, eyeing the compartment door. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."

"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," Ron muttered, eyeing his rat. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look." He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was poking out at the end. "Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway-" He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her Hogwarts robes. "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth. "We've already told him we haven't seen it," Ron said, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand. "Were you about to do magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down gingerly in one of the empty seats. "Er- all right," Ron said, looking rather taken aback, and he paused to clear his throat.

"_Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow,_" he chanted. He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers remained gray and still fast asleep. "Are you sure that's a real spell?" the girl said. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard- I've learned all our course books by heart, of course. I just hope will be enough- I'm Hermione Granger by the way, who are you?" She said all of this very fast.

Harry, Cyth and Ron all looked at each other and by the boys' shocked faces Cyth assumed they hadn't learnt the course books by heart either. "I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered. "Cyth Wright," Cyth told her. "Harry Potter," Harry said. "Are you really?" Hermione asked, "I know all about you, of course, I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise And Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_."

"Am I?" Harry asked, an eyebrow raised. "Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found everything I could if I was me," Hermione replied. "Do any of you three know hat house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad. Anyway, we'd better go and keep looking for Neville's toad, You should change you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

And with that, she left. "What house are your brothers in?" Harry asked Ron. "Gryffindor," Ron said. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mum and Dad were in it too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."

"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?" Harry asked. "Yeah," Ron replied, flopping back in his seat, looking depressed. Cyth grabbed another box of beans and stared out the window as they talked. She was completely oblivious as three boys walked in and started talking to Harry and Ron, and they completely ignored her in turn. She didn't actually acknowledge them until the one called Malfoy insulted Ron and Hagrid in the same sentence, to which she stood up immediately and attempted to look intimidating to the pale-faced boy, Ron and Harry following in suit. "Say that again," she hissed. "Oh, the girl talks," the boy called Crabbe mocked, and Cyth gave him a seething look. "Oh, you're gonna fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered. "Unless you get out now," Harry said, probably being brave, as Crabbe and Goyle were bigger than both Ron and Harry and Harry was already about an inch taller than Cyth, so she really didn't look all that intimidating to begin with.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you three seem to still have some." Goyle reached for a Chocolate Frog by Ron and Ron leapt forward but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.

Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle and Jack had leapt on his head and was digging his claws into his scalp. Crabbe and Malfoy backed away when Goyle swung Scabbers round and round while scrabbling at Jack, finally dislodging the cat after Scabbers went flying at the window and the three scurried out of the compartment. A second later, Hermione Granger came in, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by the tail and the disgruntled looking Jack. "What _has_ been going on?" she exclaimed. "I think he's been knocked out," Ron told Harry, eyeing the rat. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No, I don't believe it, he's gone back to sleep." And so he had. Ron and Harry were talking about Malfoy while Cyth directed her thoughts at Hermione. "Can we help you with something?" she asked quietly.

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we get there!"

"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," Ron said, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"

"All right- I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, running up and down the corridors," Hermione replied in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" Ron glared at her as she left, and Cyth peered out of the window. It was getting dark, and she could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.

Ron and Harry pulled off their jackets and Cyth pulled off her hoodie and in turn they each began to pull on their robes as the train began more noticeably slowing down and a voice echoed through the train saying something about getting to Hogwarts in five minutes. They began cramming their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd that raged through the corridor, and they finally stepped out onto a small dark platform. Cyth noticed Harry shivering in the night air and then saw a light hovering over the heads of the students. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" Hagrid called, his big hairy face beaming over the sea of heads. "C'mon, follow me, any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Cyth mused there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here." A loud "Ooooh!" echoed through the crowd of children. The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its' windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. "No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of small boats in the water by the shore. Harry, Ron and Cyth were followed into their boat by Hermione. "Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then- FORWARD!"

And the little fleet of boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. "Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff, they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached what seemed to be a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto the rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" Hagrid called, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them. "Trevor!" Neville cried blissfully, holding out his hands. Harry eyed Cyth, who gave him a mischievous look back as they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door. "Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

Hagrid raised a giant fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

* * *

**A/N Hello friends! This is my first attempt at an actual serious fanfiction, so I hope you like it. Other chapters may not be as long as this one but I got a bit carried away, ended up a fourth of the way through the book, haha. It'll encompass almost everything from the books so you probably won't even need to have read the books beforehand to understand most things. Anywho, if you'd like to leave a review to tell me how I've done it'd be greatly appreciated!**


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